GROSSE ILE LABORATORY
' ANNUAL REPORT
MAY 1975
Grosse lie Laboratory
9311 Groh Road
Grosse lie, Michigan
National Environmental Research Center
Office of Research and Development
Environmental Protection Agency
This report does not constitute publication but is for information only. All
data must be considered provisional.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
I. GENERAL
International Field Year for the Great Lakes. . . 1
International Joint Commission .... 2
International Activities . . .... 3
General Information 4
Hydrological Modification Program 6
II. RESEARCH
Hydrologic Modification Branch 7
Large Lakes Branch , 8
Heavy Industrial Sources Branch . 47
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INTERNATIONAL FIELD YEAR FOR THE GREAT LAKES
The International Field Year for the Great Lakes is almost finalized, the
field phases of the program are long complete and final reports of most of the
projects have appeared or are now in final stages of preparation and publication.
Most of the project scientists have presented the results of their work at
numerous scientific meetings and an impressive number of publications and papers
have resulted.
An international state-of-the-lake report from the Biology-Chemistry
Panel is being prepared and should be available within the next year. The
only major continuing project is the whole lake eutrophication modeling effort
which has now reached the stage of model verification using the IFYGL data.
This effort has proceeded to the stage where simulations of the effects of the
proposed lake load reductions on the state of eutrophication on Lake Ontario
have been made. The results of these first simulations were presented to a
meeting of the International Joint Commission and were received with great
enthusiasm. This simulation capacity is a very significant step forward in
Great Lakes eutrophication analysis.
Parts of the program conducted by the Rochester Field Office of Region II
are coming rapidly to conclusion and most of the data base is now available on
the STORET system.
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INTERNATIONAL JOINT COMMISSION
The activities of the laboratory related to the U.S.-Canada Agreement
have consumed more and more staff time during the past year. Dr. A. F.
Bartsch, NERC-Corvallis Director, became U.S. Co-Chairman of the Research
Advisory Board during this year and this accelerated the activity of that
board. Dr. Davies has acted as Dr. Bartsch's alternate and has represented
him at meetings of the Water Quality Board.
The Upper Lakes Reference Study is now in its final field phase and
all the staff have major responsibilities for writing sections of the Upper
Lakes Reference Study report. Mr. Nelson A. Thomas has been particularly
active on the Coordinating Committee of the Upper Lakes Reference Study.
The Surveillance Sub-Committee of the Water Quality Board has been preparing
surveillance plans for the Great Lakes and Mr. William Richardson and Mr.
Thomas have played active roles in the definition of the program.
Dr. Michael D. Mullin has very actively participated in the quality
control activities of the Water Quality Board and also in a group analyzing
the pollutant input to the Great Lakes from precipitation. Two new staff
members, Mr. David M. Dolan and Mr. J. Kent Crawford, were appointed during
the year specifically to aid the laboratory's International Joint Commission
support.
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INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES
o
During September, 1974 the Laboratory hosted a delegation of seven
(7) Russian scientists, who visited the. United States under the auspices
of the U.S.-Soviet Agreement on the environment. This delegation represented
the project on "The Protection of Lakes and Estuaries," of which Dr. Davies
is the U.S. Co-Chairman.
The delegation discussed the Large Lakes Research Program with the
staff and Project Officers of the various grants and became familiar with
the research program of the Laboratory.
In addition, they visited the Regional Office in Chicago and had a
brief review of the activities at Cincinnati.
In September, 1975 a symposium will be held in Kharkov and Rostov in
the Soviet Union with its theme entitled "Mathematical Modeling and Water
Quality Management in Large Lakes."
The Laboratory is continuing its association with the Kinneret Limnological
Institute and its study of Lake Kinneret. This collaboration is particularly
significant for future extension of the eutrophication models to warm lakes.
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GENERAL INFORMATION
The cooperative effort with Region V to 'obtain a vessel capable of
maintaining research and surveillance activities on the Large Lakes has
been successful. The decommissioned Coast Guard Buoy Tender MAPLE has
been extensively refitted by Region V and is now an excellent platform
to perform research in the Great Lakes. The ship is in the middle of
its second field season and both grantees and research staff have been
delighted with its performance. The ship was renamed "Roger B. Simons"
last year. The program on analysis of Lake Erie is continuing using the
T-boats leased from and supported by the Environmental Protection Agency,
which are operated by the University of Buffalo and Ohio State University.
During this current field season the Region V vessel, "The Blue Water" is
being operated for the research program by Region V.
Dr. Victor J. Bierman, Jr., a new staff member in the last year, has
been closely involved with the Water Quality Commission's analysis of Lake
Erie and with the ongoing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' study in Lake Erie.
During the past year the Laboratory has established closer ties with NASA-
Lewis where a cooperative program on remote sensing has continued. The new
NOAA Laboratory on the Great Lakes has closely coordinated its lake circu-
lation research efforts with the specific needs of the Grosse lie Laboratory.
The addition of a small amount of energy related research funds has
allowed an acceleration of the program to evaluate the effects of fish larvae
entrainment through the once-through cooling system at the conventional power
plant at Monroe, Michigan on the ecology of the western basin of Lake Erie.
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This program is a cooperative effort by the Grosse lie Laboratory, the
Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, the Department of Natural Resources
for the State of Michigan, Ohio State University, and The Detroit Edison
Company.
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HYDROLOGICAL'MODIFICATION
The current emphasis of this Program Element is to demonstrate the
cost effectiveness of structures and techniques to control erosion and
sedimentation resulting from construction activities. The first such
demonstration was completed in Columbia, Maryland and the results of the"
program have been summarized in a final project report and, more
significantly, have resulted in the development of a guideline document
and an instruction program which illustrates and describes effective
sediment erosion control measures. Two further projects have been
developed which have as their primary aims demonstration of sediment
erosion techniques in different climatic, slope and soil and vegetation
areas of the United States. This will eventually lead to a specific
set of guidelines, or at least a review and discussion of the specific
techniques in the guidelines that are considered to be the most effective
for that specific area.
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Hydrologic Modification Branch
Chief, Tudor T. Davies
Grant 803181 - State of California, Water Resources Control Board.
Demonstration of Erosion and Sediment Control Technology. Principal Investi-
gator, Alvin L. Franks. Project Officer, Tudor T. Davies.
This demonstration program is being conducted by the California
State Water Resources Control Board to develop guidelines for erosion and
sediment control within the Tahoe area. The original plan was to confine
the demonstration to a single recreation development on a volcanic soil,
but this has been recently expanded to include some work in an adjacent
county which has a granite soil. The three-year program began in mid-1974
and an interim first-year report will be available very shortly. This
project is being closely coordinated with the local soil conservation
authorities with the Tahoe Research Coordination Board and other groups in
the region.
Grant 803724 - State of South Carolina, Land Resources Conservation
Commission. Demonstration and Evaluation of Sediment and Erosion Control
Techniques Applicable to the Southeast Piedmont, Fairfield Co., South
Carolina. Principal Investigator, Frank T. Caruccio. Project Officer,
Tudor T. Davies.
This demonstration will be conducted by the South Carolina Land
Resources Conservation Commission, the University of South Carolina, and
the New Horizons Development Authority in association with the South Carolina
Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. The state has acquired 3,500
acres of land in Fairfield County, South Carolina, and is developing a model
community for light industry, urban development and recreation. The first
phases of the development will take place during the three years of the
project beginning May, 1975. Fairfield County has developed a model sediment
control ordinance and will be the state-wide demonstration site.
The major emphasis of this demonstration will be an assessment of
the efficiency of different sediment control measures, particularly vegetative
techniques in a series of minor drainage basins in the disturbed area.
Grant 803579 - St. Anthony Falls Hydraulic Laboratory, University
of .Minnesota. Development of Methods to Separate Sediments from Storm Water
Associated with Construction Activities. Principal Investigator, Alvin G.
Anderson. Project Officer, Tudor T. Davies.
A program to develop the technology to remove fine sediments from
run-off soil from construction sites has been initiated with the St. Anthony
Falls Hydraulic Laboratory at the University of Minnesota. The first year
of the program will consist of an extensive review of available techniques
and the development of a prototype instrument which will be tested in the
laboratory.
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Large Lakes Branch
Chief, Nelson A. Thomas
Grant 800605 - ROAP 21AKP - Task 007 - University of Michigan.
Analysis of Phytoplankton Composition and Abundance During IFYGL. Principal
Investigator, Eugene Stoermer. Project Officer, Nelson A. Thomas.
The objective of this project was to estimate the phytoplankton
standing crop in Lake Ontario. The major conclusions and recommendations
of this study are as follows:
1. The phytoplankton flora of Lake Ontario is qualitatively
and quantitatively dissimilar from all but the most
severely impacted regions of the Upper Great Lakes.
It would appear appropriate to develop separate
predictive models for the Lower (Erie and Ontario)
and Upper (Huron, Michigan and Superior) Great Lakes.
2. Our data suggest that there are considerable yearly differences
in the abundance and composition of the phytoplankton assemblage
in Lake Ontario, apparently related to weather conditions during
the spring phytoplankton maximum.
Data from IFYGL biology and chemistry projects should
be interpreted with caution, especially as a basis for
projections. Any further projects of this type should
be designed to provide a multi-year data base.
3. Local effects of major population concentrations are evident in
both the composition and abundance of the phytoplankton flora,
however integrated, lake-wide effects appear to be strongly
controlled by morphometry,
Predictive models should account for morphometric effects.
4. Although this project does not provide direct evidence, patterns
of phytoplankton abundance and succession in Lake Ontario are
. consistent with the hypothesis that phosphorus is the primary
nutrient controlling productivity in the system.
It appears that limitation of phosphorus loadings is an
appropriate first management strategy.
5, The phytoplankton flora of most productive regions of Lake
Ontario is dominated by halophilic species.
Greater emphasis should be placed on reduction of conserva-
tive element contamination, as well as nutrient limitation.
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6. Lack of a sufficient historic data base restricts interpretation
of present results in the-context of long-term trends within
the Lake Ontario system, except by analogy to better studied
comparable systems.
Effort should be made to develop such comparative data,
either by recovery and analysis of historic samples or
by paleolimnologic methods.
7. The phytoplankton assemblage of Lake Ontario appears to be
highly unstable, on both a seasonal and yearly basis.
It is suggested that, due to this unstable food base,
fisheries management practices successful in the Upper
Great Lakes may prove less productive if adopted in
Lake Ontario.
The final report is available in the EPA Ecological Series,
EPA-660/3-75-004.
Stoermer, E. F. and A. L. Schaedel, "Particle Counting as a
Method for Determining Phytoplankton Standing Crop." Great Lakes Research
Division, University of Michigan, August 1974.
Grant 800536 - ROAP 21AKP - Task 007 - SUNY Albany. Zooplankton
Production in Lake Ontario as Influenced by Environmental Perturbations.
Principal Investigator, Donald C. McNaught. Project Officer, Nelson A.
Thomas.
The purpose of the project was to use specific characteristics of
the zooplankton communities of Lake Ontario to identify areas of environmental
perturbation. In addition, data were provided to the modeling team so that
all ecosystem components could be examined in a modeling context, The structure
of zooplankton populations was characterized using eutrophication indicator
species, matrix techniques, and diversity indices. Generally the best eutrophic
indicator species (Bosmina longirostrix) was found predominantly in the vicinity
of Metropolitan Toronto, the Oswego River, Mexico Bay, and Popham's and Weller's
Bays. Matrix techniques suggested similar areas of eutrophication, with greatest
perturbation in shallow waters near urban areas, and least in deep waters, where
the best oligotrophic indicator (Diaptomus sicilis) still dominates. Since deep-
water communities still contain the most oligotrophic zooplankton species, these
native stocks are available for recolonization when inshore waters have been
cleaned up. In fact, the deepest waters of Lake Ontario contain an unexpectedly
large biomass of zooplankton and particulate material, further evidence of their
eutrophication. Midsummer incursions into midlake by eutrophic species commonly
found inshore likewise provide an early warning that all is not well in Lake
Ontario.
The report is being printed in the Ecological series and will be
available June 1975.
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Papers Published
McNaught, D. C. and M. Buzzard - 1973. Changes in Zooplankton
Populations in Lake Ontario (1939-1972). Proc. 16th Conf. Great
Lakes Research 76-86. '
McNaught, D. C. - 1975. A Hypothesis to Explain the Succession from
Calanoids to Cladocerans during Eutrophication. Verh, Int. Verein.
Limnol. 19.
Talks Presented
March 1973: Zooplankton Community Structure as an Indication of
Pollution of Lake Ontario. Canadian Centre for Inland
Waters, Burlington.
April 1973: Changes in Zooplankton Populations in Lake Ontario
(1939-72). I.A.G.L.R., Ohio.
July 1973: .Comments on Modeling Limnological Aspects of the Great
Lakes. Atner. Soc. Civil Eng. , Boulder.
July 1973: Use of Acoustics in Study of Zooplankton. Great Lakes
Fisheries Laboratory, Ann Arbor.
Sept. 1973: Historical and Recent Changes in Zooplankton of Lake Ontario.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Feb. 1974: Modeling Changes in Zooplankton Composition. Drexel Univ.,
Philadelphia.
Aug. 1974: Effect of Urban Centers on Zooplankton Communities of Lake
Ontario. I.A.G.L.R., Hamilton,
Aug. 1974: A Hypothesis to Explain Succession from Calanoids to Cladocerans
During Eutrophication. International Assoc. Limnology,
Winnepeg.
Sept. 1974: Changes in Zooplankton Composition of Lake Ontario. Presented
at following meeting, universities and laboratories in Europe:
a) 1st International Congress of Ecology, The Hague, Neth.
b) Czech. Academy of Sciences, Laboratory of Hydrobiology,
Prague, Czech.
c) Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Ecology,
Dziekanow near Warsaw, Poland,
d) Sea Fisheries Institute, Gdansk, Poland and Institute of
Biology, Gdansk.
e) Institute of Freshwater Biology, Krakow, Poland.
f) Eotovos University, Budapest, Hungary.
Jan. 1975: Modeling Changes in Zooplankton Composition. Wayne State
Univ., Detroit.
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Grant 802474 - ROAP 21AKP - Task 007 - University of Michigan.
Literature Review and Dystera Identification for IFYGL Macrobenthos Program.
Principal Investigator, Samuel C. Mozley. Project, Officer, Nelson A. Thomas.
Lake Ontario zoobenthic studies are compiled and integrated into an
ecological summary. Data from other lakes are employed to fill in details
of life history and environmental responses. Field surveys are tabulated with
information on data, methodology and regional extent. Distributions of wide-
spread and abundant species are described in relation to region of the lake
and depth. Regional inferences about environmental quality are derived from
zoobenthic species composition. A discussion of effects of environmental
factors leads into suggestions for future research.
Lake Ontario contrasts with other Great Lakes in having larger number
of oligochaetes but reduced number of Pontoporeia at intermediate and shallower
depths. Contrasts are most striking along the southern slope and near Toronto.
Since Pontoporeia represents a major forage base for desirable fish species,
protective measures are urged.
Assessment of extent and degree of damage to zoobenthic species is
hindered by uncertainty about reliability and comparability of existing data.
Guidelines for reevaluation of survey methodology and development of new
techniques are offered.
Draft Report March, 1975.
Final Report June, 1975.
Publications - none.
ROAP 21AKP - Task 23 - Inhouse Project. Distribution of Benthic
Organisms in Lake Ontario. Principal Investigator, Nelson A. Thomas.
A draft report has been prepared on the macrobenthos and sediment
analysis of Lake Ontario, November 1972, Analysis of the data collected in
June 1972 is proceeding. A report bringing together all the benthic studies
during IFYGL will be distributed through the ecological series,
Basic findings of the study indicate oligochaetes comprised 56% of
all the organisms collected and dominated the fauna at the shallow and inter-
mediate depth stations. They attained maximum densities at the Niagara River
mouth (61,619m2) and near Toronto (46,161/tn2) L, hoffmeisteri was predominant
at the former area while T\ tubifex comprised 90% of all organisms collected
at the latter. The area near Rochester was characterized by a high density and
diversity of pollution-tolerant chironomids. The oligochaete Stylodrilus
heringianus and the amphipod Pontoporeia affinis, both oligotrophic-indicator
species and widely distributed throughout the lake, were not collected or
occurred in reduced numbers near the Niagara River mouth, near Toronto, and
near Rochester.
Data Availability September, 1974.
Draft Report September, 1975.
Final Report June, 1975.
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Papers Published
Nalepa, T. and N. A. Thomas. Macrobenthos and Sediment Analysis
of Lake Ontario November, 1972. Presented at the Great Lakes Research
Conference, August 1974.
ROAP. 21AKP - Inhouse Project - Sediment Oxygen Demand Studies of
Lake Ontario. Principal Investigator, Nelson A. Thomas.
The sediment oxygen demand values obtained from in situ chamber
measurements are being compared to those obtained by oxygen deficit calcula-
tions from dissolved oxygen concentrations. Dissolved oxygen data obtained
during the IFYGL cruises has finally become available and will be utilized'
in the analysis of the sediment oxygen demands in Lake Ontario.
Papers Published
Thomas, N, A. "Lake Ontario Sediment Oxygen Demand Rates." 18th
Conference on Great Lakes Research.
Data Availability August, 1974.
Draft Report June, 1975.
Grant 803642 (formerly 800537) - University of Texas, Dallas, Texas.
Algal Nutrient Availability and Limitation in Lake Ontario. Principal
Investigator, G. Fred Lee. Project Officer, Nelson A. Thomas.
The objective of this project is to continue an ongoing study on the
nutritional status of algae present in Lake Ontario and to investigate the
potential amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus entering Lake Ontario from
tributary sources which may become available for algal growth.
A second major objective of this study is to assess the current
limiting elements for the algae present in Lake Ontario. Emphasis has been
devoted to studies on the planktonic algae in the open waters of the lake
using the algal assay procedure (PAAP). Further studies have focused on the
use of the algal assay procedure on nearshore waters for various tributaries
entering Lake Ontario. In addition, attempts have been made to study the
nutritional status of Cladophora present along the shores of this lake.
Water sampling in the tributaries of Lake Ontario has shown that
highly variable portions of the particulate phosphorus and nitrogen is
available for plant growth. Increased algal growth occurred in nutrient
enrichment experiments when phosphorus was added to tributary waters but not
when nitrogen and/or micronutrients were added without phosphorus.
Future direction of the project will shift to data analysis and
report preparation, A detailed examination of IFYGL data will be included
to determine the qverall chemical characteristics of the lake, how these
relate to eutrophication of the lake, and the relationship between various
chemical models and the actual chemical behavior in the lake.
The project is scheduled for completion in January 1976, when a
final report is expected. Funding under Grant 803642 will amount to slightly
over $100,000, An equal amount was previously funded under Grant 800537.
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Papers Published
Cowen, W. F., K. Sirisinha, and G. F. Lee. "Nitrogen and
Phosphorus Availability and Limitation in Lake Ontario." Paper presented
at 1974 International Association of Great Lakes Research.
Sridharan, N. , and G. F. Lee. In Press, "Algal Nutrient
Limitation in Lake Ontario and Its Tributary Waters During IFYGL." Paper
presented at 1974 International Association of Great Lakes Research.
Cowen, W, F., and G. F. Lee. In Press. "Nutrient Availability
in Particulate Materials Transported by Urban Runoff. Part I: Phosphorus."
Cowen, W. F. , K. Sirisinha, and G, F. Lee.- In Press. "Nitrogen
Availability in Urban Runoff."
Grant 800701 - SUMY Buffalo - Analysis and Model of the Impact of
Discharges _of the Nearshore of Lake Ontario. Principal Investigator, Robert
A. Sweeney. Project Officer, William L. Richardson.
This two-year project was initiated in April, 1972 as part of the
International Field Year on the Great Lakes (IFYGL), The primary objective
has been to investigate the chemical and biological characteristics of the western
nearshore area of Lake Ontario. This was accomplished primarily via an intensive
field sampling and laboratory analysis program. The sampling area extended off-
shore about 8 km. between the Welland Canal to Rochester.
The data have revealed significant increases of material concentra-
tions near the Niagara and Genesee Rivers with general concentration decrease
further from shore. Increases in silica content with depth is believed to be
due to regeneration of sedimented silica. Sediment appears to be a net sink
for phosphorus, nitrogen and carbon.
Cladophora biomass from various depths inshore of the 5 km, contour
stations was highly variable. The biomass consistently decreased with distance
from shore. Generally, the highest Cladophora biomass was at either the 3 or
4 meter water depths. From the limited sampling schedule, a peak Cladophora
biomass was seen during the mid-July and mid-October collections. No particular
impact of the Niagara or Genesee Rivers can be discerned from the data.
The closely spaced nature of the stations for biological parameters
provided a more intense coverage for this nearshore area than any past study.
The influence of the Niagara River, Genesee River, and the thermal bar on this
nearshore environment was evident.
The influence of these two rivers was seen on the quantity and quality
of phytoplankton and zooplankton in the lake. Also, changes in the pattern of
flow of these tributaries resulted in alterations of the phytoplankton biomass
data for the lake.
The data for benthic fauna, phytoplankton and zooplankton provides
excellent baseline information on many areas not sampled before, especially
for the benthic fauna. Species not reported previously for Lake Ontario were
noted for zooplankton and phytoplankton.
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The thermal bar effect on this nearshore area would be seen most
dramatically in April and May. Inshore of the bar were found the highest
concentrations of phytoplankton biomass in the area.
Results of this research have .been p-resented at the 16th and 17th
Conferences of Great Lakes Research. A final EPA report will be completed
by June 1975.
Papers Published
Czaika, Sharon C. "Crustacean Zooplankton of Southwestern Lake
Ontario in Spring, 1973 and at the Genesee and Niagara River Mouths Area in
1973, in Spring, 1973."
Czaika, Sharon C. "Aids to the Identification of the Great Lakes
Harpacticoids Canthocamptus Robertcokeri and Canthocamptus Staphylinoides."
Great Lakes Laboratory, State University College at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York.
Lorefice, George J. "The Abundance of Diatoms in the Southwestern
Nearshore Region of Lake Ontario During the Spring Thermal Bar Period." Great
Lakes Laboratory, State University College at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York.
Papers to be Presented
Plascyca, James A. "Seasonal Chlorophyll -a Distribution in the
Southwestern Nearshore Zone of Lake Ontario."
Wyeth, Robert and G. Lorefice. "Decay of Chlorophyll a^ on Glass
Fiber Filters."
Letiki, Paul J. "Carbonate and Organic Carbon in the Sediments of
the Southwestern Nearshore Zone of Lake Ontario."
Grant 800646 - SUNY Oswego - Nearshore Study of Eastern Lake Ontario
(IFYGL). Principal Investigator, Richard B, Moore. Project Officer, Michael
D. Mullin.
This project has been completed and a final report should be available
in summer 1975. The nearshore program was concerned mainly with gathering basic
information on the changes in chemistry, biology, and to some extent, the
physical environment through the Field Year. All the basic trophic levels were
studied in cooperation with the main lake phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthic
organism studies programs. In addition, routine analysis of pesticides and
PCB's were made for samples from the main and nearshore cruises. Special
studies of the role of thermal bar on nutrient cycling in the nearshore zone
and on the problematic Cladophora growths were to be conducted.
Sampling and analysis have been completed and the data is presently
being reviewed with regard to satisfying project requirements.
Paper Presented
"The Distribution of Phytoplankton Related to the Transport and
Mixing of Water in the Oswego Rivermouth" by D. J. Bean and R. B. Moore, at
the 17th Conference of Great Lakes Research - August 12-14, 1974.
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Grant 800778 - Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (ERIM).
A Remote Sensing Program for the Determination of Cladophora Distribution in
Lake Ontario. Principal Investigator, Q. T. Wezernak. Project Officer,
Michael D. Mullin.
This project has been completed and a final report is now available
as EPA-660/3-74-028, "Cladophora Distribution in Lake Ontario (IFYGL)."
The objective of this program was to delineate the .distribution of
Cladophora along the entire shore of Lake Ontario using remote sensing
techniques. Remote sensing data combined with ground truth data is able to
provide information regarding the area coverage of Cladophora, as well as
estimates of Cladophora biomass.
Multispectral photograph of the U.S. shoreline of Lake Ontario was
collected from the ERIM aircraft on June 20 and July 31, 1972. Processing of
the data indicated over two-thirds of the nearshore zone (350 meters from shore
or to approximately the five meter depth contour) between Niagara and Rochester
are covered by Cladophora. Difficulty in precisely locating the ground truth
sampling stations on the scanner films hindered the calibration of the remote
sensing data and made the estimates of biomass more difficult to obtain.
Expressed as dry weight, the standing crop was equal to 1.57 x 10 kg per
kilometer of shoreline in the nearshore zone. Because of reduced transparency
east of Rochester, data from a strip of only 277 meters from shore was processed.
These results showed 79 percent coverage by Cladophora with a standing crop of
2.6 x 10 kg per kilometer as dry weight. Extrapolating to a width of 350
meters, the standing crops is equal to 3.3 x 10^ kg per kilometer of shoreline.
Major and minor thermal features, which can be expected to influence
the biology and chemistry of the nearshore, were evident from the remote sensing
data at several locations within the study area.
Remote sensing has potential to be an effective technique for
determining the distribution of benthic algae, thermal monitoring and other
large-scale measurements dealing with the aquatic environment. A presentation
of the results of this project was made at a Cladophora symposium sponsored by
the International Joint Commission in February, 1975, and to the Research
Advisory Board in March, 1975. As a result of a favorable review of this
technique, plans are being developed to include remote sensing for observing
attached algal growths in other Great Lakes. This is the first time that
researchers have been able to estimate the coverage of a lake bottom by
problem algal growths.
Papers Published
Wezernak, C. T. and D. R. Tyzenga. "Analysis of Cladophora Distri-
bution in Lake Ontario Using Remote Sensing," Remote Sensing of the Environment,
Vol. 4, No. 1, 1975. In Press.
Grant 800496 - New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation -
Occurrence and Transport of Nutrients and Hazardous Polluting Substances in the
Genesee River Basin. Principal Investigator, L. J. Hetling. Project Officer,
William L. Richardson.
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The objective of this research has been to determine the rates of
transport, storage and decay of hazardous polluting substances and nutrients
in a selected Lake Ontario watershed, namely; the Genesee River Basin, The
project was initiated for the.IFYGL program in April, 1972,
The following conclusions have been drawn:
1. Of the total phosphorus loading measured at the mouth of the
Genesee River, greater than 75% is attributed to non-point sources.
2. It appears that the major mechanism for transport of phosphorus
in the Genesee River system is sediment movement.
3. Soil type and geomorphology as well as land use have an effect
on the nutrient yield from a small watershed, Attempts to relate nutrient
yield to land use without consideration of soil type were not successful.
4. A relationship between percent of land in forest and main stream
temperature was found.
5. Data collected was inadequate to completely formulate a basis for
estimating nutrient transport. Insufficient data on sediment was collected.
6. The concentration of most parameters measured in small watersheds
in the Genesee River Basin were log-normally distributed,
7. Insufficient emphasis on laboratory quality control during the
study presents problems in interpreting the data.
8. Except for several rare isolated samples, values for heavy metals
and pesticides in water samples were below that detectable by the laboratory
methods used.
A final EPA report will be completed by June, 1975.
Grant 800608 - University of Wisconsin-Madison - Exploration of
Halogenated and Related Hazardous Chemicals in Lake Ontario. Principal
Investigator, William Boyle. Project Officer, Michael D. Mullin,
The project has been completed and a final report will be available
in spring 1975.
The objective of this project was to collect samples of Lake Ontario
fish, water, sediment, net plankton, Cladophora, and benthic fauna and to
provide baseline data on the levels of DDT group pesticides, dieldrin and PCB's
in them. This information will allow a more complete assessment of the chlorinated
hydrocarbon problem in Lake Ontario.
Average concentrations found ranged from 28 ng/1 (t-DDT, e.e., sum
of DDT, DDE and ODD) 4.8 ng/1 (dieldrin) and 55 ng/1 (PCB's as Aroclor 1254
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equivalent) for water to 1.40 yg/g (t-DDT), 0,07 yg/g (dieldrin) and 5.15
yg/g (PCB's) for whole fish. DDE levels were generally similar to t-DDT
levels, except for sediments where ODD and DDT contributed significantly to
t-DDT values. PCB/t-DDT ratios average 2.6 for all samples except for sediment
(7.0) and benthos (5.3).
Dr. Oilman Veith of EPA's National Water Quality Laboratory in Duluth
will be carrying the project further. Using the fish samples already available,
he will screen the samples for exotic organic compounds that may be problems of
the future. Chlorodioxanes, chlorobenzofurans, phthalate esters and mirex are
examples of such compounds.
Papers Presented
Haile, Clarence L, "Chlorinated Hydrocarbon in the Lake Ontario
Ecosystem." The 17th Conference on Great Lakes Research - August 12, 13, 14,
1974.
Grant 800610 - Manhattan College, Bronx, New York - Mathematical
Modeling of Eutrophication of Large Lakes. Principal Investigator, Robert V.
Thomann. Project Officer, William L. Richardson.
The objective of this project has been to develop a mathematical
model for eutrophication control in Lake Ontario. The three-year project,
initiated in March, 1972 for the International Field Year on the Great Lakes
(IFYGL), has reached a conclusion with some very significant contributions to
both understanding the interrelated phenomena involved in the Lake Ontario
eutrophication process and managing the system. The results of the project are
being documented in two volumes for the EPA research series. The first, entitled,
Mathematical Modeling of Phytoplankton in Lake Ontario 1. Model Development and
Verification, contains most of the theoretical development of the model. The
second volume will contain simulations results for alternative management schemes,
Presentations of the simulation results were given to Region V and
to the Water Quality Board of the International Joint Commission. Figure 1
depicts the major physical features of the "Lake - 1" model used for the
simulations. This model considers the lake to be one reactor with 3 vertical
layers. The model is used to simulate average phytoplankton growth over the
entire lake. The model results provide simulations which compare favorably with
data on the dependent variables. Spring phytoplankton growth ceases due to
phosphorus limitations and then increases with increase of nutrients resulting
from remineralization. Both nitrogen and phosphorus then become limiting
resulting in a broad fall peak in phytoplankton biomass. Finally, a decline
results due to low temperatures from fall turnover. The model in its present
calibrated form is a reasonable first approximation to observed data and has
been used to estimate the effect of nutrient reduction programs in Lake Ontario.
The results of three such programs are shown in Figure 2. As shown it
is estimated that under the continuation of present nitrogen and phosphorus load,
the peak spring phytoplankton biomass would increase from present levels of about
10 yg/& in 5 to 10 years. If phosphorus is reduced about 40% of present load,
-17-
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-18-
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only about a 1 yg/& increase would be expected. This indicates the present
biomass is not in equilibrium with present discharges. Finally, if all nutrient
loadings in the Upper Lakes were reduced to represent only runoff, from rural
land with no significant human wastewater a 50% reduction in peak biomass is
expected or to about 5 ug/&.
Papers Presented
DiToro, D. M., 1974. "Vertical Interactions in Phytoplankton Popula-
tions - An Asymptotic Eigenvalue Analysis." Presented at the 17th International
Association of Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) Meeting, McMaster University.
Thomann, R. V., R. Winfield, D. DiToro, 1974. "Modeling of Phyto-
plankton in Lake Ontario." Environmental Engineering and Science, Manhattan
College, Bronx, New York. Presented at the 17th Conference on Great Lakes
Research.
ROAP 21AKP - Inhouse Project - IFYGL Data Management - Principal
Investigator, William L. Richardson.
The objective of this project has been to consolidate all the IFYGL
chemical and biological data into one computer system to allow easy access by
the various Great Lakes investigators. The EPA STORET system was used because
(1) Itprovided an existing, user oriented system accessible by remote terminal;
(2) its use eliminated the need to develop new file management software; (3)
it provides the researchers with some powerful sorting and analysis tools;
(4) it provides long-term archiving of data for future research. The data
were generated from field studies on Lake Ontario in 1972 and 1973. The
chemical and biological analyses were performed (1) on shipboard; (2) the
EPA Reg. II Lab., Rochester, New York; (3) various university laboratories.
To date, all data generated at the Rochester Laboratory has been
stored in STORET. About 95% of all university data is stored and all shipboard
data is stored.
Since the data management project involves so many laboratories, it
is expected that refinement of the data files (i.e., sorting out and correcting
erroneous data) will continue for about another year. However, the data is
deemed at least 95% correct at this time.
For those interested, a data set at the OSI computer system containing
information on data status can be accessed via remote terminal by issuing the
command "USE &CNCNLL.WLR.IFYGLDATANEWS ON TS0007."
Grant 802406 - SUNY Buffalo - Lake Erie Nutrient Control Program:
An Assessment of Its Effectiveness in Controlling Eutrophication-Eastern Basin.
Principal Investigator, Robert A. Sweeney. Project Officer, Michael D. Mullin.
This project is in its second of three years and is scheduled to be
completed by June, 1976,
-20-
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The principal objectives of the project are to ascertain the
eutrophic status of the Eastern Basin of Lake Erie, establish an ecological
baseline for the Eastern Basin, and evaluate the nature and extent of problems
associated with over-enrichment as well as the effectiveness of. pollution
abatement programs on a large lake.
Sampling and analyses have been completed for the first year and are
nearly completed for the second year of the study. Ten cruises were conducted
during 1973, thirteen during 1974 and five cruises are scheduled for 1975. In
addition, three intensive 48-hour on-station studies will be conducted during
spring turn-over, thermal stratification and fall turn-over periods.
Chemical and biological results to date indicate that conditions
in the Eastern Basin were similar in 1973 and 1974. Comparisons to previous
studies on the basin show essentially no major changes in chemical concentra-
tions, except for a possible slight increase in total phosphorus. Previous
biological data is scant and trend estimations difficult.
A state-of-the-lake report is being prepared in conjunction with the
Center for Lake Erie Area Research (CLEAR) at Ohio State University. (R-802543)
Budget Period June 1, 1974 to May 31, 1976.
Project Period June 1, 1973 to May 31, 1976.
Interim Report Due April 30, 1975.
Final Report Due May 31, 1976.
Grant 802543 - ROAP 05BAA - Task 12 - Ohio State University - Lake
Erie Nutrient Control Program: An Assessment of Its Effectiveness in Con-
trolling Lake Eutrophication. Principal Investigator, Charles Herdendorf.
Project Officer, Nelson A. Thomas.
This project will determine the effectiveness of Federal, State and
local nutrient control programs on Lake Erie in reducing the over-enrichment of
this important body of water. The prime objectives of this research will be
the development of a system of indicators which will index the state of eutroph-
ication in the lake as a function of time. This objective will be approached
through a series of repetitive field surveys in the western and central basins
of Lake Erie to monitor various trophic levels in the ecosystem of the lake and
to analyze several physicochemical properties of the water and
-------
in the Western Basin since 1971. The concentration of chlorophyll remained
below 40 ug/1 except in the small nearshore embayments.
Data Availability 1973-1974 June, 1975.
1975 June, 1976
State of Lake Erie Report April, 1975
EPA Report December, 1976
Papers to be Presented
Herdendorf, C. E., J. E. Zapotosky and K. Svank. "Anoxic Hypolimnion
and Nutrient Regeneration in the Central Basin of Lake Erie." To be presented
at the 18th Conference on Great Lakes Research.
ROAP 21AKP - Task 25 - Inhouse Project - Lake Erie Sediment Study.
Principal Investigator, Nelson A. Thomas.
Under the terms of the Nixon-Trudeau Agreement, the dissolved oxygen
conditions in Lake Erie are to be addressed on an annual basis. In addition,
the use of oxygen depletion rates appears to be a useful index as to the
effectiveness of the nutrient control programs established for Lake Erie.
During the 1974 field season, four buoy systems were deployed in the
central basin of Lake Erie. Data obtained on the rate of oxygen depletion in
the hypolimnion will be compared to the dissolved oxygen data obtained from
the survey ships. If reliable estimates can be obtained from the buoy systems,
this will greatly reduce the cost of determining the effectiveness of the
nutrient control programs as they are implemented along the shores of Lake Erie.
The data from the buoy systems are already providing information on
the movement of hypolymnetic water between basins. This information is required
when one attempts to construct an oxygen balance for the hypolymnion of Lake
Erie.
Grant 802359 - Case Western Reserve University - Nearshore Diffusion
Studies. Principal Investigator, Wilbert Lick. Project Officer, William L.
Richardson.
The objective of this research has been to develop mathematical models
for nearshore pollutant transport in the Great Lakes. Originally this grant was
to cover a period of two years, from 5/1/73 to 4/30/75. The project period has
now been extended to 8/31/75 with a funding supplement to include research in
sediment resuspension and the exchange of dissolved substances between lake
sediments and the overlying water. This will include an investigation of the
mechanics of sediment resuspension by shear stresses due to wave action and
currents and the cycling of trace metals between sediments and overlying water.
The experimental work is to be performed in Saginaw Bay.
A draft report covering the numerical modeling research has been
submitted and is being reviewed. A review workshop was held at GIL on March 6,
1975, where modeling results were presented by the grantee. Participants at
-22-
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this meeting included both modelers and regulatory personnel who could
conceivably utilize the models.
It appears that much of the modeling effort could be applied to
specific management questions immediately. However, it was emphasized that
to a great extent, the models remain unverified and considerable effort is
required to do so. It was pointed out, however, that the methodology, even
in its present state, is much better than the techniques presently employed
to answer many environmental questions,
The computer programs developed or used for this research are being
documented and will be available to both researchers and managers by the end
of the project period.
Several important applications of the models have been made by the
investigators. The first was to determine the influence of a proposed diked
area in the Cleveland Harbor area to be used for a jet port, Figure 1 depicts
the simulations results and shows the influence of the alternative dike con-
figurations on currents velocity.
The results of model application to the thermal discharge from Point
Beach Power Plant in Lake Michigan is shown in Figure 2. Verification with
data provided by Argonne Laboratory was excellent.
The remaining modeling effort will be devoted to further verification
especially for the nearshore pollutant dispersion model.
Papers Presented
Paul, J. and W. Lick, 1973. "A Numerical Model for a Three-Dimensional,
Variable-Density Jet." Presented at the 16th Conference on Great Lakes Research.
Paul, J. and W. Lick, 1974. "A Numerical Model for Thermal Plumes and
River Discharges." Presented at the 17th Conference on Great Lakes Research.
Haq, A. and W. Lick, 1975. "On the Time-Dependent Flow in a Lake."
J. Geophysical Research, Vol. 80.
Paul, J. and W. Lick, 1974. "A Numerical Model for a Three-Dimensional,
Variable-Density Jet." Case Western Reserve University Report.
. . Haq, A., W. Lick and Y. P. Sheng, 1974. "The Time-Dependent Flow in
Large Lakes with Applications to Lake Erie," Case Western Reserve University
Report.
Kuhlman, J., 1974. "Laboratory Modeling of Surface Thermal Plumes."
Case Western Reserve University, Ph.D Thesis.
Papers to be Presented
Lick, W. "Numerical Models of Lake Currents." EPA Report.
Lick, W., J. Paul and Y. P, Sheng, April 7, 1975. "The Dispersion
of Contaminants in the Nearshore Region, Symposium on Mathematical Modeling of
Biochemical Processes in Aquatic Ecosystems."
-23-
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-24-
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-25-
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Lick, W. "Numerical Modeling of Lake Currents, Annual Review of
Earth and Planetary Sciences, Vol. 4."
Grant 803086 - ROAP 21AKP - Task 36 - University of Michigan -
Plankton and Nutrient Relationships in Southern'Lake Huron. Principal
Investigator, Claire Schelske. Project Officer, Nelson A. Thomas.
The objective of this study is to determine algal nutrient and
phytoplankton concentrations and relationships in Southern Lake Huron. The
study is part of the IJC Upper Lakes Reference Study and the results will be
used in the analysis of the state of water quality in Lake Huron, The plan
consists of a series of cruises for the measurement of the major algal nutrients,
primary production, light measurements, and various chemical and physical
conditions.
A second phase of the Southern Lake Huron Study is to determine the
accumulation of hazardous materials into the sediments. The incorporation of
materials into the sediments will be used by the Upper Lakes Reference Group
in determining mass balances on Lake Huron. The important areas for active
accumulation of sediments in Southern Lake Huron have been located and mapped.
Data Availability April 1975 - 1974 Data.
April 1976 - 1975 Data.
Reports - IJC - November 1975.
EPA - December 1976.
Papers Presented
Dow, David D., Laurie E. Feldt and Russell A. Moll, May 1975.
"Size Fractionation Experiments on Lake Huron Plankton Communities."
Great Lakes Research Division, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
At the 18th Conference on Great Lakes Research.
Davis, Curtis 0., Russell A. Moll and Claire L. Schelske, May 1975.
"Phytoplankton Populations in the Frontal Zone Between Saginaw Bay and Lake
Huron." Great Lakes Research Division, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor,
Michigan. At the 18th Conference on Great Lakes Research.
Grant 802780 - ROAP 05BAA - Task 02 - University of Michigan -
Biological Responses to the Eutrophication in Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron.
Principal Investigator, Eugene Stoermer. Project Officer, Nelson A. Thomas.
This study is being conducted as part of the Upper Lakes Reference
Study to determine the impact of pollutant inputs to Saginaw Bay and Southern
Lake Huron. Preliminary data are just now becoming available. These data do
indicate that Saginaw Bay is one of the most productive, if not the most
productive embayment in the Great Lakes. As a result of the high chloride
input, many estuarine algal forms have been found to be growing in large
abundance. A large percentage of the phytoplankton population growth
-26-
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settles and is resuspended during storms. Many of the blue-green algae appear
to contain polyphosphate bodies, if such is the case, this could be an important
mechanism in transporting large quantities of nutrients to Lake Huron.
Data Availability - 1974 - June 1975.'
1975 - June 1976.
Reports - IJC - October 1975.
EPA - June 1977.
Paper Presented
Lin, C. Kwei and Paul D, Friedrich, May 1975. "Alkaline Phosphatase
and Phosphorus Availability in Saginaw Bay." Great Lakes Research Division,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. At the 18th Conference on Great
Lakes Research.
Grant 802721 - ROAP 21AKP - Task 37 - University of Michigan -
Interchange of Nutrients and Plankton in the Straits of Mackinac. Principal
Investigator, Claire Schelske. Project Officer, Nelson A. Thomas.
This project is to delineate the significance of the input from
Lake Michigan to Lake Huron. A series of three cruises were conducted in the
Straits of Mackinac, 1973. As a result of these studies, the input of Lake
Michigan water can be traced down to the Michigan shoreline to Charlevoix,
a distance of 16 miles. The significance of these inputs will be determined
when the results of these studies are analyzed in light of other Upper Lakes
Reference Studies.
The study was conducted in cooperation with the Lake Survey Center
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who provided water move-
ment and material input studies from April to November, 1973. Combinations of
these studies will provide both a material balance of the input of materials
from Lake Michigan, as well as determining the significance of these inputs.
Data Availability - April 1975.
Reports - IJC - October 1975.
EPA - June 1975.
Papers Presented
Moll, Russell A., Claire L. Schelske, Mila S. Simmons, and Laurie E.
Feldt, May 1975. "Water Mass Relationships in the Straits of Mackinac." Great
Lakes Research Division, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Presented
at the 18th Conference on Great Lakes Research.
Stoermer, Eugene F., C. L, Schelske, R. G. Kreis, Jr., and T. B,
Ladewski, May 1975. "Late Summer Phytoplankton Distribution in the Straits of
Mackinac Region." Great Lakes Research Division, University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor, Michigan. Presented at the 18th Conference on Great Lakes Research.
Grant 803178 - ROAP 21AKP - Task 35 - SUNY Albany - Zooplankton and
Water Quality in Southern Lake Huron. Principal Investigator, Donald C. McNaught,
Project Officer, Nelson A. Thomas.
The objectives of this ongoing project include: (1) The identification
-27-
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of areas in Southern Lake Huron currently exhibiting reduced water quality as
evidenced by a reduction of the natural fauna, and (2) the determination of
the degree to which planktonic grazers control the level of algal standing
crop, in the lake.
Zooplankton communities of Southern Lake Huron are currently (April-
August 1974) dominated by calanoid copepods, in sharp contrast to Lake Ontario,
where Bosmina longirostris is the most common plankter, comprising 60% of the
fauna. During August 1974 in Lake Huron, when production was highest, the im-
matures of Diaptomus and Cyclops were most abundant; Bosmina longirostris accounted
for only 5% of all organisms. Indices of eutrophication, including the percentage
composition of eutrophic Bosmina, the percentage of oligotrophic Diaptomus
sicilis, the percentage of total calanoid copepods, and the percentage of exotic .
invaders, all clearly have illustrated that Lake Huron is characterized by large
areas of high water quality.
However, there exist areas in Southern Lake Huron which are characterized
by eutrophic cladocerans, these include the outer regions of Saginaw Bay and the
western shore north of Port Huron. Bosmina longirostris is common to these areas,
whereas the more oligotrophic Bosmina conegoni is more common to the open lake
and does not even enter Saginaw Bay in the spring. Further analysis of data
collected during 1974 will show the distribution of all diagnostic species.
Grazing by zooplankton may prove to be a controlling factor, both
on phytoplankton production and algal species composition, during specific
months. During July and August, 1974, only 3.4 and 0.1% respectively of the
daily primary production was grazed by zooplankton each day. Yet in October
1974, approximately 68% of the algal production and 133% of the production of
the small, oligotrophic nannoplankton was grazed. In the fall grazing by
zooplankton may encourage the development of the larger colonial phytoplankton,
If the same dynamics hold for spring, selective grazing by zooplankton may be
an important factor in stimulating blooms of blue-green algae in eutrophic areas
like Saginaw Bay.
Data Availability - 1974 - partial July 1975.
1974 & 1975 - October 1976.
Reports - IJC - October 1975.
EPA - November 1976.
Grant R802685-02 - Cranbrook Institute of Science - Upper Lakes
Reference Study: A Survey of Chemical and Biological Factors in Saginaw Bay
(Lake Huron). Principal Investigator, V. Elliott Smith. Project Officer,
Victor J. Bierman, Jr.
This project is part of the Upper Lakes Reference Study and involves
a comprehensive field sampling and laboratory analysis program for the purpose
of determining various chemical and biological parameters in Saginaw Bay. The
objectives of the parent study are to characterize the physical, chemical and
biological processes that occur in the bay and to develop a mathematical model
which can be used both to describe these processes and to predict the effects
of reduced waste inputs.
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The parameters measured in the present study include chlorophyll,
algal nutrients, metals, carbon, chloride and dissolved oxygen. Laboratory
work is performed using the facilities of the Grosse lie Laboratory. All
work is closely coordinated with other ongoing studies of the bay including
detailed biological measurements and wind-driven water circulation modeling
being conducte'd by the University of Michigan, measurements of actual water
circulation by NOAA, sampling of tributary waste inputs by the Michigan DNR,
and mapping of water masses and land use areas by Bendix Aerospace Systems
using ERTS-B imagery.
The sampling and analysis program has been completed for 1974, the
first full year of the project. This effort involved a total of 17 cruises and
59 field stations. A similar effort will continue through November, 1975, using
a 34-station subset of the original 59 stations. In addition, a total of six
24-hr, on-station studies will be conducted at a single station in the inner
portion of the bay near the mouth of the Saginaw River.
Observed chlorophyll a values during 1974 were found to be extremely
high, some of them ranging above 70 yg/£. The overall pattern of the chloro-
phyll data shows a distinct bimodal distribution with time that is often
associated with eutrophic systems. Although no significant stratification was
observed in the bay, the horizontal gradients of chlorophyll and chloride, a
conservative tracer, were quite large, indicating a complex interaction between
the bay and Lake Huron proper. Dissolved nutrients remained quite low in most
parts of the bay after the spring phytoplankton bloom, suggesting that the
system is driven largely by external nutrient loadings.
Papers Presented
Bierman, V. J., Jr. 1974. "Dynamic Mathematical Model of Algal Growth
and Species Competition for Phosphorus, Nitrogen and Silica." Presented at
the 17th Conference on Great Lakes Research, International Association for Great
Lakes Research, August 12-14, 1974, at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.
Rogers, R. H., L. E. Reed and V. E. Smith 1975. "Computer Mapping
of Turbidity and Circulation Patterns in Saginaw Bay, Michigan (Lake Huron) from
ERTS Data." Presented at the ASP-ACSM Convention, March 9-14, Washington, D.C.
Data Availability - 1974 (STORET) - May 1975.
Reports - IJC - November 1975.
Final Project Report - July 1976.
Grant 803037-01 - Great Lakes Research Division, University of Michigan
Characteristics of Benthic Algal Communities in the Upper Great Lakes. Principal
Investigator, Eugene Stoermer. Project Officer, J. Kent Crawford.
The objectives of the proposed research are (1) to provide an objective
comparison of the benthic algal communities occurring on particular substrate
types in the Upper Great Lakes. This information should serve both to point
out areas that are presently being adversely affected by accelerated eutro-
phication and to provide baseline information against which possible future
changes may be judged, and (2) and effort will also be made to reconstruct,
-29-
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insofar as is possible, the original status of such communities by recovery
and analysis of historic collections from the region.
The general approach of the research involves the recovery of
historic collections and collection of new samples from previously unanalyzed
sample sites. If recent collections are not available from the more important
historical sites, collections will also be repeated.
In work completed so far, significant differences in benthic algal
communities from different localities of the Great Lakes have been found.
These differences appear to be related to the degree of disturbance suffered
by the areas studied. Benthic algal communities show an increasing diversity
from south to north in Lakes Michigan and Superior." In undisturbed areas,
algal communities with some of the highest diversities ever recorded for any
freshwater habitat remain intact.
The project is nearing the end of the first year of what is expected
to be three years of funding. Total cost of the three-year project will
approach $100,000.
Publication
Stoermer, Eugene. In Press. "Comparison of Benthic Diatom Communities
in Lake Michigan and Lake Superior." 1974 Proceedings of the International
Association of Limnology.
Inhouse Project - Atmospheric Loadings of the Upper Great Lakes -
Principal Investigator, Michael D. Mullin.
Precipitation samples have been collected on a monthly basis since
October, 1973, on the U.S. shores of Lake Huron and Lake Superior. Collection
was accomplished under the coordination of Mr. Dennis Swanson of the State of
Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The study is to determine the loadings to the Upper Great Lakes from
atmospheric sources and is part of a larger program under the Upper Lakes
Reference Group Study. Physical parameters, chloride and nutrient analyses
have been completed for the first 18 months and metals analyses will be completed
by June, 1975.
The sampling for the ULRF Study will terminate as of May 31, 1975
and the direction will change to solely an inhouse effort to measure the
precipitation inputs for trace metals, total phosphorus, total Kjeldahl
nitrogen and chloride. These data, combined with weather data from the
National Climatic Data Center, will be used to estimate the loadings of these
parameters to Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. This phase will terminate June 30,
1976 and conclusions should be available by the end of 1976,
Inhouse Project - Great Lakes Research Data Management, Principal
Investigator, William L. Richardson.
As with the IFYGL Program, a continuing objective of the Grosse lie
-30-
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Laboratory Research Program is to combine all limnological data into one data
system. STORE! continues to be used for this purpose by grantees at their
institution. Procedures have been developed with each for keypunching and
storing data. Each grantee has access to STORET via a slow speed terminal
with account numbers provided by the EPA (See Figure 1, for example).
This procedure has functioned well and has expedited the use of data
by others. For example, the Manhattan College modeling group has access and
utilized data within days after storage.
The Grosse lie Laboratory has participated in a data exchange with
CCIW. CCIW data can be provided to us on tape. Our data is accessed directly
from STORET by the CCIW computer staff.
We have also assisted the IJC Regional Office in Windsor with
accessing STORET,
Grant 803030 - Manhattan College, Bronx, New York - Mathematical
Models of Water Quality in Large Lakes. Principal Investigator, Dominick
DiToro. Project Officer, William L. Richardson.
The objective of this research is to structure and implement
mathematical models of phytoplankton biomass in Lake Huron and Lake Erie
for the purpose of managing water quality in these Great Lakes. The work
project began in March, 1974 and will terminate in March, 1977. The research
is an important aspect in fulfilling the terms of the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes
Agreement. The final product is expected to include predictions of water
quality under various control alternatives. These results will be important
for decision making within EPA, as well as for planning agencies like the
Great Lakes Basin Commission and the International Joint Commission.
To date, a 100 segment 4-layer Lake Huron model has been structured
and used to determine transport regimes (Figure 1). The phytoplankton model
structure uses a five-segment scheme, including two bottom segments. Much of
the initial effort was devoted to data gathering for model calibration. A
summary of this effort is shown in Figure 2.
Several data gaps were revealed including lack of winter data and
chlorophyll vs. depth profiles. The field studies being conducted for the
IJC Upper Lakes Reference Study will provide this information,
The grantee will present some intial work at the ACS Conference in
April, 1975 entitled, "Combining Chemical Equilibrium and Phytoplankton Models -
A Generalized Method," and will have some initial simulations ready for the
Upper Lakes Reference Report in the Summer of 1975.
Task 24 - Inhouse Project - Saginaw Bay/Lake Huron. Principal
Investigator, William L. Richardson,
This inhouse research is directed toward application of the Manhattan
College modeling approach to Saginaw Bay. The effort began in 1973 and will
extend through 1976. Two products are expected. Primarily, a pollutant
-31-
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Data Flow for Saginaw Bay
Upper Lakes Reference Study
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-32-
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-34-
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dispersion/eutrophication model will be developed, calibrated, verified, and
used for management decisions for Saginaw Bay. Secondly, expertise will be
developed to understand and operate the Manhattan College models for other
Great Lakes. Progress to date includes the calibration and verification of
a chloride dispersion model useS to characterize the circulation' regime in
the Bay. The Manhattan College software has become operational from the
Grosse lie Laboratory and is currently being modified for an eutrophication
model of the Bay, This work parallels the species-level model being developed
by Victor Bierman.
An important aspect of this effort has been to determine the loadings
of chloride and nutrients from bay tributaries. A computer program was developed
which is used to compute loads using 5 calculation techniques employed by various
investigators. It has been found that load can vary up to 100% depending on the
method of calculation. An interagency agreement was completed with the U.S.G.S.
to expedite completions of flow calculations for Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron
tributaries. These flow figures have been used to develop loadings to the bay.
Using the high frequency sampling data (1 to 3 samples per week) and the
U.S.G.S. flow data, loading for chloride was computed to be 2.6 million pounds
per day. This compares to 1.9 million if one were to use bi-monthly flows and
concentrations and 2.8 million if bi-monthly concentrations and daily flows are
used. Work continues on refining the loads for all materials and choosing the
best set for use in the models.
Publications
Richardson, W. L. 1974. "Modeling Chloride Distribution in Saginaw
Bay." Proc. 17th Conference Great Lakes Research, International Association of
Great Lakes Research. In press.
Richardson, W. L. 1975. "An Evaluation of the Transport Characteristics
of Saginaw Bay Using a Mathematical Model of Chloride." Presented before the
Division of Environmental Chemistry, American Chemical Society, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. April 8, 1975.
Presentations to be made
Richardson, W. L. and V. J. Bierman, Jr. 1975. "A Mathematical
Model of Pollutant Cause and Effect in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron. To be presented
at the 1975 meeting of the American Institute of Biological Sciences, Corvallis,
Oregon, April 17, 1975.
Richardson, W. L. and V. J. Bierman, Jr. 1975. "A Time-Variable
Model of Chloride Distribution in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron." To be presented
at the 18th Conference of Great Lakes Research, Albany, New York, May, 1975.
ROAP 21AKP - Inhouse Project - Water Quality Segmentation of Lake
Huron. Principal Investigator, J. Kent Crawford.
A massive amount of chemical data has been collected on Lake Huron
in support of the International Joint Commission sponsored Upper Lakes Reference
Study. The Canada Centre for Inland Waters, the Great Lakes Research Division
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of the University of Michigan, and the Cranbrook Institute of Science have
each collected water quality data on parts or all of the lake. In order to
present that data in an efficient and understandable manner, a segmentation
of the lake is proposed. Each segment is expected to have certain unique
chemical properties separating it from other Segments of the lake and will
be, to the extent possible, chemically uniform within. The segmentation
then will serve as a descriptive tool for presenting the water chemistry of
Lake Huron. In addition, the same segmentation could conceivably be used
in the future to define areas of non-degradation and areas of like water
quality standards.
The segmentation will be accomplished by grouping sampling stations
with similar water quality characteristics. Cluster analysis is the tool to
be used for grouping the stations. The cluster technique planned will consist
of standardization of the data, then measurement of similarity of data stations
with regard to selected water quality parameters by either multiple correlation
analysis or measurement of euclidean distance in an n-dimensional hyperspace,
A computer program for the cluster analysis is available in a statistical package
at the University of Michigan.
To date, the pertinent data have been collected at the Grosse lie
Laboratory and computer access to the University of Michigan system has been
negotiated through EPA's Mobile Source Air Pollution Control facility in Ann
Arbor, Michigan. Remaining to be done are data organization and tabulation,
the segmentation itself, and a presentation of the results.
Completion of the project is anticipated in the spring of 1975, with
the results to be input immediately into the Upper Lakes Reference Group effort.
ROAP 21AKP - Inhouse Project - Saginaw Bay Eutrophication Modeling -
Project Period, 1/1/74-12/31/76, Principal Investigator, Victor J. Bierman, Jr.
The object of this task is to develop a mathematical model which can
be used both to describe the physical, chemical and biological processes that
occur in Saginaw Bay and to predict the effects of reduced wast-o. loadings.
Specifically, this model will focus on the phosphorus, nitrogen and silica
loadings to the bay and the resultant production of phytoplankton biomass.
Model development is proceeding along two parallel pathways. The first
of these involves the development of research-oriented process models which
include biological and chemical detail but which, for simplicity, do not include
any. spatial detail. The second pathway involves the development of an engineering-
oriented water quality model which mimics, as closely as possible, the actual
physical system with appropriate spatial detail. At any given point in time, the
water quality model will contain those chemical and biological processes which
have previously been researched and developed using the spatially-simplified
models. There will be constant feedback between the above two pathways and
constant interaction between the entire modeling effort and the ongoing experi-
mental effort on Saginaw Bay.
At this point, work is well advanced along the research-oriented path-
way and is in its initial stages along the engineering-oriented pathway. A two-
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step process model of phytoplankton growth, fundamentally different from
approaches based on classical Michaelis-Menten kinetics, has been developed
at the class level. This model includes carrier-mediated uptake of nutrients
using a reaction-diffusion mechanism, and possible intermediate storage of
phosphorus and nitrogen in excess of a cell's immediate metabolic needs. The
present version of this model, SMILE1 (Successional Model of Interactions in
Lake Ecosystems), includes four algal types; a diatom, a green and two blue-
greens, and involves growth as a function of phosphorus, nitrogen (including
nitrogen fixation) and silica. Work is progressing on SMILE2, a spatially-
segmented, two-dimensional version of SMILE1, in close coordination with the
inhouse development of various water circulation models of Saginaw Bay.
To date, SMILE1 has been applied to the inner portion of Saginaw Bay
for the purposes of calibration and sensitivity analyses. Preliminary simula-
tions involving chl ₯, nutrients, and seasonally-averaged flow, loadings, and
boundary conditions have indicated that the inner bay is extremely sensitive to
external loadings from the Saginaw River and from Lake Huron because of its
relatively short hydraulic detention time (approximately 2 months). As
phytoplankton and zooplankton class-level data become available, the above
calibration of SMILE1 will be refined and time-variable loadings will be used.
We anticipate that, by January, 1976, SMILE2 will be operational and
calibrated to a multi-segment grid which will include both the inner and outer
portions of the bay. Most of the final project year, 1976, will be spent on
refinement, detailed verification and predictive simulation of the effects of
various water quality management strategies.
Papers Presented
Bierman, V. J., Jr, 1974. "Dynamic Mathematical Model of Algal Growth
and Species Competition for Phosphorus, Nitrogen and Silica," Presented at the
17th Conference on Great Lakes Research, International Association for Great
Lakes Research, Hamilton, Ontario, August 12-14, 1974.
Bierman, V. J., Jr. 1975. "Mathematical Model of the Selective
Enhancement of Blue-Green Algae by Nutrient Enrichment." Presented at the Annual
Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Division of Environmental Chemistry,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 7-11, 1975.
Papers to be Presented
Richardson, W. L. and V. J. Bierman, Jr. 1975. "A Time-Variable Model
of. Chloride Distribution in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron." To be presented at the
18th Conference on Great Lakes Research, International Association for Great
Lakes Research, Albany, New York, May 20-23, 1975.
Bierman, V. J., Jr. and W. L. Richardson 1975. "Mathematical Model of
Phytoplankton Growth and Class Succession in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron." To be
presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Institute of Biological Sciences,
Corvallis, Oregon, August 17-22, 1975.
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Report to the International Joint Commission November, 1975.
ROAP 21AKP - Task 24 - Inhouse Project - Saginaw Bay Model - Flow
and Dispersion. Project Period_ - July 1, 1973 to November 30, 1975.
Principal Investigator, David M. Dolan.
HAR03, a steady state, finite difference water quality model developed
by Region II, EPA, was applied to Saginaw Bay by William L. Richardson of the
GIL staff. Efforts were made to estimate the magnitude of horizontal dispersion
and the magnitude and direction of advective flow using chloride as a tracer.
1965 chloride data was used.
Dr. Victor J. Bierman, Jr., of the GIL staff, developed a time
variable, finite difference model (FLUSH 01) to be used as the basis for
predicting flow and dispersion in his eutrophication model of Saginaw Bay.
FLUSH 01 can predict varying concentrations throughout the year in response
to constant boundary conditions.
Currently, HAR03 and FLUSH 01 have been checked against each other
using 1965 chloride data by running the time variable model to steady state.
Excellent agreement was obtained after the discovery of problems in both modi Is.
FLUSH 01 has been modified to accept time variable boundary conditions. The
modified version, FLUSH 02, is being tuned with 1974 chloride data,
Ultimately,.FLUSH 02 will be modified to accept daily flows and dis-
persions (FLUSH 03) from the Wind-Driven Circulation Model for Saginaw Bay
developed by Dr. A. W. Green, Jr., of the University of Michigan's Department
of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science. In order to utilize different segmentation
schemes besides the 16 segment one presently in use, a computer program,
PLUNGE 01, is being written. PLUNGE 01 will also interface with the Wind-Driven
Circulation Model to provide necessary flows and dispersions in the proper for-
mat for FLUSH 03.
The increased accuracy resulting from the use of daily flows and dis-
persions will be evaluated and a decision will be made as to what level of
accuracy is necessary to provide a sufficient basis for eutrophication modeling
in Saginaw Bay.
Papers Presented
Richardson, W. L. 1974. "Modeling Chloride Distribution in Saginaw
Bay." Presented at the 17th Conference on Great Lakes Research, International
Association for Great Lakes Research, August 12-14, 1974, at McMaster University,
Hamilton, Ontario.
Richardson, W. L. 1975. "An Evaluation of the Transport Characteristics
of Saginaw Bay Using a Mathematical Model of Chloride." Presented at Division of
Environmental Chemistry, American Chemical Society, April 6-11, 1975, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.
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Papers to be Presented
Richardson, W. L. and V. J. Bierman, Jr., 1975. "A Time Variable
Model of Chloride Distribution in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron." To be presented
at the 18th Conference on Great Lakes Research, International Association for
Great Lakes Research, May 20-23, 1975, at the State University Of New York,
Albany, New York.
Reports
Report to International Joint Commission November, 1975.
Data Availability
Saginaw Bay data for 1974 will be available through STORET May 1975.
Grant 802464-02 - University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin.
Nutrition of Great Lakes Cladophora. Principal Investigators, Dr. Gerald C.
Gerloff and Dr. G. P. Fitzgerald. Project Officer, J. Kent Crawford.
Objectives of this project are to gain information on (1) the
nutritional and environmental requirements for the growth of Cladophora and
(2) the factors which may be critical for limiting the growth of this species
in the Great Lakes. The work is important because laboratory culture of
Cladophora has been unsuccessful until now and therefore information needed
for controlling this nuisance alga has been unavailable.
Work completed to date indicates that a modified Gorham's medium
is suitable for culturing Cladophora. Acceptable pH, light intensities and
temperature have been determined. Cladophora is capable of using several
forms of phosphorus, nitrogen, and iron. Cladophora growth has been evaluated
for a range of concentrations of several potentially critical nutrients.
Various potential sources of phosphorus have been tested for their ability to
serve as actual sources of available phosphorus. Different strains of Cladophora
have been tested for their nutritional requirements.
Future work remaining includes a small number of laboratory tests
and preparation of the final report. Two detailed progress reports and one
supplementary progress report have already been received. Funding for the
two-year project ending in June will amount to slightly over $150,000.
Papers and Publications
Fitzgerald, G. P. 1974. "Shortcut Methods Test Algicides." Water
and Sewage Works, September 1974,
Fitzgerald, G. P. In Press. "Analysis of Plant Material." In:
Proc. Cladophora Workshop, International Joint Commission, Windsor, February 1975.
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Grant 800965-02 - Great Lakes Research Division, University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Use of Nutrient Bioassay Procedures in the
Great Lakes. Principal Investigator, Claire Schelske. Project Officer,
J. Kent Crawford.
«
A series of experiments are being continued on the effect of nutrients
on the growth of natural phytoplankton and Selenastrum in waters from Lake Huron,
Lake Michigan and Lake Erie. Specifically, these experiments provide data that
can be used to estimate the effects of phosphorus, nitrogen, silica and other
factors on standing crops of algae. Results will be compared between lakes and
seasons and for spatial differences within lakes. The work is preceded by a
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission grant on the same problem and has those results
as its foundation.
Both natural phytoplankton assemblages and Selenastrum cultures are
being used. A factorial statistical design enables replicates of all possible
combinations of specified nutrients. Effects of nutrient additions have been
evaluated from measurements of chlorophyll a, cell counts, and production of
organic carbon. As the project continues, determination of which parameter best
measures responses will enable simplification of the experimental design.
Statistical models will be developed, based on data from the experiments, to
describe the output and for use in determining benefits of nutrient removal
programs.
Results to date indicate that only a few species of phytoplankton in
an assemblage of species respond in the nutrient enrichment experiments. Two
of the three measurements of phytoplankton production (chlorophyll a and organic
carbon) yield comparable results in determining the direction and magnitude of
planktonic response to nutrient additions. Cell counts were not suitable for
measuring planktonic standing crop of natural assemblages because of the many
different sizes of natural phytoplankton. However, the particle count method
worked quite well for Selenastrum cultures. Maximum growth rates for five
species of diatoms occur at light intensities of 600 foot - candles. Finally,
it appears that phosphorus is the critical nutrient spurring phytoplankton
growth in the Great Lakes and that concentrations of phosphorus as low as 1
Ug P/L can stimulate algal growth.
Future tests are being conducted to confirm these preliminary results.
A new test approach is also planned. A complete growth medium will be tested
against media with a nutrient or combination of nutrients missing from the
medium. This approach may yield new insights into the effects of complexing
reactions on nutrients and will ensure that the observed algal response is due
to-the removed nutrient and not to any other growth factors in short supply.
The project is nearing the end of its second year of funding. A
supplemental year of funding has been requested to carry the project to its
completion in April, 1976. A final report is expected at that time. The
funding level has been roughly $100,000 per year.
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Grant 803120 - ROAP 21AKP - Task 28. Kinneret Limnological
Laboratory. Sources of Phosphorus of the Peridinium Bloom in Lake
Kinneret. Principal Investigator, Colette Serruya. Project Officer,
Nelson A. Thomas.
«
This project is defining the nutrient budget within Lake Kinneret
in great detail. Precise measurements are being obtained on the various forms
of phosphorus and their origin to the lake. Detailed phosphorus loadings have
been obtained through event sampling of the major tributaries. Loading
estimates are being obtained for the input of phosphorus and nitrogen as a
result of individual storms.
An extensive data base exists on Lake Kinneret as a result of very
intense and thorough studies conducted by the Kinneret Limnological Laboratory.
These data cover the entire eutrophic system which have provided excellent
verification of eutrophication models. It is anticipated that these data will
be used for verification of eutrophication models developed through other
grants from the Grosse lie Laboratory.
Data Availability August, 1977.
Interim - August 1974 December 1974.
Final Reports - December 1977.
Grant 802647 - DePaul University. A Determination of the Significance
of Phosphorus Inputs from the Atmosphere. Principal Investigator, Thomas J.
Murphy. Project Officer, Michael D. Mullin.
This project has been completed and a final report should be available
in Spring, 1975.
The objectives of the project were to determine the magnitude of
phosphorus inputs to Lake Michigan from precipitation and the forms in which
this phosphorus is present and the distribution of phosphorus in precipitation
around the lake and whether the inputs via this route had changed through time.
These objectives will be approached through a comparison of total phosphorus and
dissolved reactive phosphates between urban and non-urban sampling sites and,
secondly, analyzing glacial samples for any concentration change with time.
Six sampling locations were used for the project. Two were located
in the Chicago metropolitan area, three were in state parks on the lake shore,
and one was on Beaver Island in the northern part of Lake Michigan.
Preliminary analysis of the data indicate that over half the phosphorus
input to Lake Michigan from precipitation may be in a readily available form,
of which 80 per cent is dissolved reactive phosphorus. Organic phosphorus
contributions may constitute 40 per cent of the total phosphorus input to the
lake from precipitation. Loading figures for phosphorus to Lake Michigan are
not available yet.
Two glacial samples were successfully analyzed for phosphorus.
Detectable amounts were observed (ca. lyg/£ as P) but these are appreciably
below the average precipitation concentration for Lake Michigan of total
phosphorus of 12.7 ug/£ as P.
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Paper Presented
Murphy, Thomas J., June 1974, "Phosphorus Inputs from the Atmos-
phere." At the American Society of Limnology & Oceanography Meeting.
Grant 803238 - University of Wiscons-in at Milwaukee. Determination
of Atmospheric Phosphorus Addition to Lake Michigan. Principal Investigator,
A. M. Beeton. Project Officer, Michael D. Mullin.
The project has recently been funded for the first year of an antici-
pated two years. The investigators are in the process of establishing sampling
stations, arranging the logistics of sample transport and obtaining necessary
equipment.
The objective of the project is to determine the contribution of
phosphorus from the atmosphere to Lake Michigan, It is proposed to accomplish
this by measuring total phosphorus and orthophosphate in rainfall, snowfall,
and dust particulate fallout. A network of twenty precipitation collection
stations will be established around the periphery of the lake. In addition,
samples will be collected from ships and possibly, from a lake-based buoy or
tower. Both event and cumulative samples will be collected,
Budget Period February 1, 1975 to January 31, 1976.
Anticipated Project Period - February 1, 1975 to January 31, 1977.
First Year Report Due January 31, 1976.
Final Report Due January 31, 1977.
Grant 803187 - University of Texas-Dallas. An Evaluation of Hazardous
Chemicals in the Great Lakes. Principal Investigator, G. Fred Lee. Project
Officer, Michael D. Mullin.
This project was funded in July, 1974,
The objective of the project is to conduct a detailed state-of-the-
art review on hazardous chemicals in the Great Lakes. In addition to surveying
available data, this would also examine any trends, possible interrelationships
between compounds and toxic and beneficial effect of various compounds of
interest.
The investigators are presently involved in locating and examining the
availability and reliability of data on hazardous materials in Lake Ontario. An
account has been arranged with OSI and the EPA, Region VI, data group have
assisted the investigators in retrieving data from STORET.
Data is being screened to provide the best estimates of loadings,
present lake conditions, trends and effects of hazardous organic compounds and
heavy metals observed in the Great Lakes.
Budget Period July 1, 1974 to June 30, 1975.
Anticipated Project Period-July 1, 1974 to June 30, 1977.
Interim Reports Due June 30, 1975 and June 30, 1976.
Final Report Due June 30, 1977.
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Grant 801062 - Eastern Michigan University. Future Dredging and
Disposal in the Great Lakes. Principal Investigator, C. Nicholas Raphael.
Project Officer, Michael D. Mullin.
This project has been* completed and a final report is -now available
as EPA-660/3-74-029, "Future Dredging Quantities in the Great Lakes."
The objectives of the study were to examine past, present and future
dredging and disposal practices and procedures in the Great Lakes and to
estimate the volume of spoil to be removed from harbors and waterways in the
next decade.
Dredged spoil volume have been reduced during the past three years
for a number of reasons. Fewer projects are being dredged; polluted spoil
is currently being confined rather than being dumped in open lake waters;
dredging permits are becoming increasingly more difficult to obtain; and
strong competition by modes of transport other than deep draft shipping are
lessening the enthusiasms for deepening the St. Lawrence Seaway and the
expansion of harbor facilities.
Eighty-four percent of the dredging activity in the Great Lakes in
the next decade will take place in United States harbors and estuaries and forty
percent of the total dredging will occur in Lake Erie and the Detroit River.
A factor which will determine future U.S. maintenance dredging is the
availability of confined disposal sites. If the 62 sites are completed for
commercial harbors as planned, 300,000 of the 6.45 million cubic yards of
annual projected polluted spoil will not have disposal facilities. Where
pollution elimination systems are in use, shoaling in some industrial harbors
may be decreasing. Although long-term lake levels are not predictable, an
inverse relationship between maintenance dredging and lake levels is evident.
Wetlands, specifically coastal marshes, appear to be threatened less
by dredged spoil disposal than by high lake levels, filling by utilities and
industries and by residential and recreational encroachment.
Papers Presented
Raphael, C. N., E. Jaworski, C. F. Ojola and D. S. Turner, 1973. At
the Detroit Propeller Club. "Dredging in the Great Lakes."
Raphael, C. N., E. Jaworski, C. F. Ojola and D. S. Turner, April, 1974.
At" the American Association of Geographers. "Dredging and Spoil Disposal in the
Great Lakes."
Raphael, C. N. , E. Jaworski, C. F. Ojola and D, S, Turner, April, 1974.
At the Michigan Academy of Sciences. "Dredging and Its Impact in the Great Lakes."
Raphael, C. N. and E. Jaworski, April, 1975. At the American Academy
of Geographers. "Disposal of Polluted Dredging Spoil in the Great Lakes."
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Grant 801112 - University of Michigan. Water Quality Impact of
Sediment Dredging in Large Lake System, Principal Investigator, Walter C.
Weber, Jr. Project Officer, Michael D. Mullin.
This project is in its third and final year and is funded through
December, 1975.
The major objective of this study is to elucidate the rates and
mechanisms of the exchange of chemical species between sediments and water
during the disposal of dredged spoil on open lake waters.
Sediment samples from seven harbors on the Great Lakes were collected
in 1973 and have been analyzed under anaerobic, aerobic and anaerobic followed
by aerobic exchange conditions.
Leachable metal exchange, under anaerobic conditions, showed less
than one percent for copper, lead and zinc after 360 hours of contact between
the sediment and leaching solution. Cadmium was leached from three to thirty
times the amount of any of the other metals.
The aerobic and the anaerobic - aerobic results were generally quite
close to one another for all metals. Additionally, in almost all cases, metal
ions from the soluble phase were adsorbed from solution during aerobic mixing.
This is probably due to the air oxidations of ferrous ion and, to a lesser
extent, the manganous ion to hydrous ferric and hydrous manganic oxides,
respectively. These colloidal hydrous oxides are known to sorb metal ions
from solution.
Size fractionation was accomplished on the harbor sediments and metal
content of the fractions determined. In many cases the metal ions are associated
with the smaller size clay fractions which would be expected to be more widely
dispersed both during the dredging operation and during disposal. With the
longer settling time of the clay fraction, the metals sorbed on the colloidal
fraction will have a much longer contact time with the water and biota of the
receiving waters.
A field trip was made to Rochester, New York during August, 1974, to
monitor a dredging operation on the Genesee River. Samples were obtained with
the assistance of the EPA Rochester Field Office, before and during dredging
operations at each of the stations. Additionally, samples of slurry from the
dredge hopper were taken during operations at three times; when the hopper first
became full, at mid-point in the dredging run and just prior to discharge of the
hoppers at the dump site.
The only change detectable in the river stations was an increase in
suspended solids. Flow conditions washed out any other changes. In the lake,
suspended solids increased only locally at the dump site. Increases in reactive
phosphates concentration were short-lived at the surface, but appeared to be more
long-lasting in the unmixed hypolimnetic samples.
The dredge hopper samples showed reactive phosphates of roughly 50 to
200 times higher than those of the epilimnetic receiving water. Total organic
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carbon levels were about twice that of the receiving water. A colloidal
precipitate was noticed in filtering the hopper samples. This precipitate
was acid soluble, and acid also presented the formation of a precipitate.
This observation points to the presence of ferrous ions in the slurry which
oxidize on aeration during filtering. The dredge hopper contents, therefore,
probably resemble the anaerobic reactor conditions and the release of other
metals is expected to be maximal as well. The metal analysis of the water
and sediment sample will be part of the third year's work.
The Corps of Engineers, Detroit District Office, will be sponsoring
a dredging operation in Toledo Harbor in June, 1975. A survey similar to the
1974 Rochester study is planned.
Paper Presented
Weber, Walter, Jr. and J. Posner, 1974. "Release of Chemical
Pollutants from Dredged Spoils." At the 1974 Workshop on Environmental Impact
& Linkages held by the Association of Environmental Engineering Professors at
Charleston, South Carolina, on December 19, 1974.
Budget Period - September 6, 1974 to December 31, 1975.
Project Period - September 6, 1972 to December 31, 1975.
Final Report Due - March 31, 1976.
Grant 801188 - ROAP 05BAA - Task 017 - Michigan State University.
Mass Transport of Biological Materials. Principal Investigator., Robert Ball.
Project Officer, Nelson A. Thomas.
Studies have been conducted of the effect of once-through cooling on
biota by Michigan State University in cooperation with the Detroit Edison Co.
at their steam electric power plant on the Western Basin of Lake Erie at
Monroe, Michigan. The plant has a surface intake which draws cooling water
from the Raisin River and Western Lake Erie. The plant discharge is HOm^/sec
at a T of 10 C when the plant is operated at its rated capacity of 3000 mega-
watts.
Studies over the last two years included measurements of effect on
water chemistry, zooplankton, phytoplankton, and fish larvae as the result of
once-through cooling. To date the changes in water chemistry are within the
normal variance of the data, and there does not appear to have been any
significant effect on the water quality of the area adjacent to the power plant.
There have been occasional zooplankton mortalities and these appear to have been
related to chlorination. Effects on phytoplankton appear to have been in the
form of an increase in productivity. The Michigan State University investigators
estimate that 300,000,000 fish larvae per year pass through the cooling system
and are killed.
It has become evident that a most serious effect of once-through cooling
is likely to be in fish larvae mortality. It is necessary to understand the im-
pact of the loss of the fish larvae at this and other facilities on the fish
population of Western Lake Erie, Knowledge of this overall impact is required
by both the electric power companies on Western Lake Erie as well as the regula-
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tory agencies having authority over these waters, Knowledge of fish larvae
distribution and mortality as related to recruitment to harvestable adults
is essential to future decisions on siting and method of operation of present
and future power generating facilities as well as regulation of commercial
fishing in Western Lake Erie. It is realized,that there are many components
to the mortality curve of a fish population and that the operation of power
plants is only one of these. However, technology is available to minimize
the effects of power plants, if needed,
A cooperative Federal, State, industry and university study is
being planned to assess the impact of fish larvae entrainment in Western Lake
Erie.
Agencies involved:
State of Michigan
State of Ohio
Sport Fish and Wildlife Service
Ohio State University
Michigan State University
U.S.EPA - National Water Quality Laboratory
Grosse lie Laboratory
The Detroit Edison Company
Data Availability - 1973 - March, 1974.
1974 - March, 1975.
1976 - March, 1976.
Draft Reports - March, 1974.
March, 1975.
March, 1976.
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Heavy Industrial Sources Branch
Chief, Dr. Hugh B. Durham
Grant 800772-01 - Treatment of Coke Plant Waste Ammonia Liquor.
Alan Wood Steel Co., Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Principal Investigator,
William F. Kemner. Project Officer, Dr. Hugh B. Durham. Project Period,
2/15/71 to 12/31/75. Total Project Cost, $2,105,050. EPA Funding,
$352,582.
The major objective of this grant is to demonstrate a full scale
' treatment plant to convert into potable water the steel industries' waste
ammonia (WAL). WAL is a highly toxic objectional fluid obtained during the
coking of coal. This objective is to be accomplished without creating any
other pollution problems by utilizing all the impurities which are generated
in some useful manner. In its total design, it is the. only plant of its
kind in the world.
There are four primary sections of phases of the total treatment
system: (1) Ammonia Removal, (2) Multi-effect Evaporator, (3) Biological
Treatment, (4) Incineration and Acid Production. Figure I, illustrates the
relationships of these phases. The figure is highly simplified, however,
it illustrates how the (WAL) stream is purified in stages. First, the ammonia
(actually so-called "free ammonia") is removed in on ammonia column or still.
The ammonia vapors are combusted in an incinerator to produce a
harmless gaseous effluent of water vapor, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. The
stream continues through a specially designed six effect evaporator. Upon
passage through this complex unit, two streams are produced by distillation.
First, a stream of water containing 1000-3000 ppm phenol. Phenol is carried
with water during its evaporation and thus cannot be separated in the evap-
orator. The other stream, being about 4% by volume of the input stream.
These are cyanides, "fixed ammonia" salts, thiocyanates, sulfides, etc.
These impurities represent about 25% of the slurry stream as dissolved
solids. The evaporator was designed upon Westinghouse's experience in
desalination of sea water.
The phenolized water is pumped to a biological treatment phase
where an activated biological sludge is used along with atmospheric oxygen
in a turbulent both to oxidize the phenol to a harmless organic form. The
theory and equipment for this phase are not unlike that for conventional
sewage treatment. The slurry produced by the evaporator is combusted in
another incinerator', producing an exhaust gas which is recycled through a
water scrubbing tower to produce, hydrochloric acid. The exhaust gas from
the incineration process meets all air-quality standards.
All systems are now on stream. From now through October opera-
tional data will be collected for all phases of the system. The final re-
port on this project is scheduled for completion by 12/31/75.
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Grant S-803073-01 - Aircraft Industry Waste Water Recycling -
Pilot Scale Demonstration. The Boeing Commercial Airplane Co., Seattle,
Washington. Principal Investigator, Alan K. Robinson. Project.Officer,
Dr. Hugh B. Durham. Project Period^ 7/31/74 to 7/30/76. Total Project
Cost, $206,109. EPA Funding, $137,960.
At this time, a variety of chemical and physical processes are
available that are claimed to be suitable for purifying and recycling waste
water streams. However, recycling of aircraft factory waste water over a
significant period of time has yet to be demonstrated.
It is the purpose of this research program to build a 100-gallon/
minute pilot demonstration unit that will enable recycling of the waste water
streams of a typical aircraft factory. The quality of the recycled water
will be assessed and compared with the quality of incoming water. The
economics of recycling water for a typical aircraft factory on a production
basis will be estimated. A study will also be made to estimate the cost
of full scale implementation of the recommended water recycling techniques
for a typical aircraft manufacturing plant.
For purposes of this study and demonstration, the waste waters
will be grouped into four streams.
Stream 1 Chemical Process Rinse Waters. These include rinses from:
alkaline cleaner solutions, anodizing solutions, deoxi-
dizing solutions, chemical milling solutions, and a
minor portion of rinses from electroplating shops.
Stream 2 Non-Destructive Test Rinse Water. This water has been
used to rinse metal parts during crack detection by the
oil penetration method. Three separate rinses are used
in the process: one after the parts have been immersed
in penetrant oil, another after immersion in emulsifier,
and the third after developer.
Stream 3 Cyanide Rinse. Rinsing parts from cyanide plating and
metal stripping operations results in a very dilute,
alkaline, cyanide-containing solution.
Stream 4 Machine Shop Waste Cutting Oil Emulsion. This waste
' liquid consists mainly of a water emulsion of proprie-
tary oil mixed with "synthetic" coolants consisting
chiefly of water and inorganic salts such as phosphates.
This grouping allows appropriate treatment to be given to each
stream, and will demonstrate the effectiveness of treatment. It will be
assumed throughout that each stream will be purified and re-used for its
original purpose.
At present, all design work and equipment have been ordered for
all loops. Design analysis and confirmatory tests showed that, as originally
proposed, large volumes of gaseous hydrogen and oxygen would be formed within
the electrolytic destruct unit for cyanide unus. Since- the walls of the unit
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were required to be spaced as closely as possible (approx. 0.1 in.) any
buildup and detachment of metallic flakes could bridge the electrodes and
cause an explosion of the oxygen-hydrogen mixture. Accordingly, a simple
cyanide destruct unit based on the well-known" chlorine method is proposed.
Grant 803064-01 (12070 HEK) - Regeneration of Chromated Aluminum
Deoxidizers: Phase II - Improve Diaphragm. The Boeing Commercial Airplane
Co., Seattle, Washington. Principal Investigator, Harry Hicks. Project
Officer, Dr. Hugh B. Durham. Project Period, 8/1/71 to 7/31/75. Total
Project Cost, $98,937. EPA Funding. $59,775.
An electrolytic process for the regeneration of chromated aluminum
deoxidizer solutions has been successfully accomplished. The regeneration
concept involves oxidation of trivalent (depleted) chromium to hexavalent
(active) chromium at an electrode of a DC rectifier. A chemically inert,
electrically conductive diaphragm is required to prevent the active
chromium from migrating to the cathode and again becoming passive. Such
a diaphragm was developed in Phase I. Results of this work are published
in EPA-660/2-73-023 December 1973.
Phase II of this project was initiated to improve the selective
diaphragm. The efforts of Phase II have been successful in reducing fab-
rication costs without sacrificing membrane performance. This has been
accomplished by using fewer laminated layers of membrane material, shorter
press times and improved thickness uniformity. A variety of diaphragms
were subjected to permeability and current carrying capacity tests.
Acceptable polyester diaphragms can be made using either 30 layers
of DuPont Reemay 2024 or 10 layers of DuPont Reemay 2470. Permeability of
the diaphragm is satisfactory with either material when a pressure of
70 kg/cm is applied for 30 minutes at 149 C. A conditioning presoak of
30 days at 171 C is necessary to achieve acceptable long term performance.
Work is now in progress to provide extended performance tests of
the improved diaphragms in a 8700 - liter shop production installation. This
will verify that an extended period of life can be expected from improved
diaphragms, and also determine that regeneration will be satisfactory under
extended periods of production operations. ,
A paper on this work was presented at the National Conference on
Management and Disposal of Residues from the Treatment of Industrial Waste-
water in Washington, D.C., February 4, 1975, at the Mayflower Hotel.
A paper will also be presented at the National Conference on
Complete Water Reuse in Chicago on May 5-8, 1975, at the Palmer House.
Grant R803619-01 - Managing and Disposing of Residues from
Environmental Control Facilities in the Steel Industry. Dravo Corp.,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Principal Investigator, Lazo Pastor. Project
Officer, Dr. Hugh B. Durham. Project Period, 5/1/75 to 4/30/75. Total
Project Costs, $139,274. EPA Funding, $104,455.
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The objectives of this project is to establish types and volumes
of residues generated by environmental control facilities in the steel in-
dustry, their management, their useful application or potential uses, includ-
ing resource recovery and/or disposal. Special attention will be given to
resource recovery and reuse or other uses of the generated wastes and residues.
Stabilization techniques of the final residues for environmentally safe
disposal also will be studied. Technologies already used (or developed) for
the recovery of metals, regeneration of pickle liquor, etc., -or the disposal
of various types of wastes and residues would be briefly described and tab-
ulated.
Grant R803467 - Metal Finishing: Painting Waste Load Study.
Dr. George E.F. Brewer, Coating Consultant; Brighton, Michigan. Project
Officer, Dr. Hugh B. Durham. Project Period, 12/15/74 to 12/14/75. Total
Project Costs, $17,349. EPA Funding, $16,481.
The object of this proposal is a state-of-the-art survey of paint-
ing operations in the metal fabrication industry. The survey is to cover
four different classes of paints (organic solvent borne, water borne, powder
paints and radiation paints), applied by one or more of six painting tech-
niques (Spray, Dip & Flow, Roller & Brush, Electrodeposition, Powder Tech-
nology, and Radiation Curing). Data are being obtained from the literature,
trade & scientific organizations, paint and equipment manufactures and in-
dustrial users.
To date (52) paints have been selected and their contents of resin
and pigments (non-volatile), and organic volatile solvents have been computed
as both weight-percent and volume-percent, as delivered by the paint manu-
facture to the users' site.
The next phase of the study which is in progress is the evaluation
of transfer efficiency for these (52) paints.
Grant S-8Q0680 - Treatment of Fluoride and Nitrate^ Industrial
Wastes. Grumman Aerospace Corporation, Bethpage, New York. Principal In-
vestigator, Christian J. Staebler, Jr. Project Officer, George F. Weesner.
Project Period, 12/1/71 to 9/30/75. Total Project Cost, $1347896. EPA~~
Funding, $96_,127.
During Phase I of this project fluoride treatment techniques of
laboratory and pilot scale were conducted on selected aerospace and metal work-
ing industry chemical process solutions and rinse waters. Techniques were
established for the treatment of fluoride-containing waste waters to levels
as low as three parts per million by use of chemical granular quicklime.
The Phase I report was published in March, 1974, under EPA
660/2-73-024. A paper on the results of the first phase and the objectives
of the second phase was presented by Mr. Staebler at the National Conference
on Management and Disposal of Residues from the Treatment of Industrial Waste-
waters, Washington, D.C., February 4, 1975.
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Phase II of this project has as its objectives the development
of comprehensive waste treatment technology for the removal of nitrates
from lime treatment effluents apd' the economics of sludge reuse,, water re-
cycling and production scale-up. A mechanically aided evaporation will be
used, producing a crystalline calcium nitrate product. Also, pilot studies
will be carried out to determine parameters for using ion exchange as a
means to remove fluorides and nitrates from metal treatment process rinse
waters.
The evaporation is still in the setup phase, with the first run
expected in mid-April, 1975. One run has been completed with the 1-ft
(2S.3-&) ion exchange unit. Throughput was O.Sgpm (1.9&/min) of rinse water
containing 60mg/£ of nitrate (as NO., ) and 12mg/£ of fluoride (as F ).
Before breakthrough of the fluoride, effluent levels of both fluoride and
nitrate were less than lmg/&. After breakthrough the nitrate levels remained
at less than lmg/£.
An amendment to the grant is currently being processed, to add to
the project a comprehensive study to evaluate the effectiveness of the
calcium nitrate evaporator bottoms as a nitrogen fertilizer. This additional
task will include detailed analysis of the evaporator bottoms, evaluation of
the Ca(NO,.)9 product as a fertilizer, and determination of the economics of
Ca(N03)2 reuse.
Grant S-802142 - Regeneration of Hydrochloric Acid Waste Pickle
Liquor. Toledo Pickling and Steel Service, Inc., Toledo, Ohio. Principal
Investigator, Lars Hansen. Project Officer, George F. Weesner. Project
Period, 2/1/73 to 6/30/75. Total Project Cost, $383,551. EPA Funding,
$161,463.
The objective of this project is to demonstrate in a plant-scale
continuous operation the technical and commercial feasibility of using a
thermal regeneration system for the recovery and regeneration of hydrochloric
acid from waste pickle liquor in a closed-loop system in which no noxious
pollutants escape into the environment.
The project has been delayed a number of times, most seriously by
a fire in March, 1974. There were also a number of unforeseen equipment
problems, delays in delivery of key components, modifications mandated by
OSHA requirements, and the usual startup delays. As a result, the scheduled
completion date, originally February 28, 1974, has had to be extended to
July 31, 1975.
The system takes the spent acid from the pickle line. If the
pickle liquor is dilute, an evaporative system will concentrate the liquor
to approximately 30% FeCl_ after which the liquor is sent to the economizes
which scrubs, cools, and utilizes the heat from the combustion process to
further concentrate the liquid to approximately 40-45% FeCl?.
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The FeCl? concentrate is then sprayed into the reactor onto a
falling ferric oxide curtain. The oxide is moved downwards over an inclined
bed by gravity and intermittent vibration. During this,period, the liquid
is evaporated and decomposed into ferric oxide and HC1 gas. The oxide passes
through a set of crusher rolls into a high temperature bucket elevator for
discharge and return to the reactor after a curtain is formed. The gases
leaving the reactor go through a dust cyclone, from which the collected
dust is fed back to the elevator.
,,The oxide product is sand-like with an approximate weight of
150 Ib/ft (2400 kg/m ) grayish in color and low in impurities. The exhaust
gases after being scrubbed and cooled are sent to two absorber towers in
series, where the acid is absorbed out into a final product of 15-20 wt%
HC1 and approximately 0.2% iron. The remaining gases, after going through
two exhaust fans, rated at 3500 CFM-60 WC (99.1 m /min - 14.0 kilometers/m )
are passed through a sound muffler, a stack scrubber, and an enlarged section
for air dilution to provide a clean, low HCl passage, 30 ppm maximum, with
virtually no stack dropout.
Both the evaporator and reactor are able to burn gas or oil. The
reactor is able to burn waste oil and waste chemicals; when burning chlorinated
hydrocarbons the reactor must be operated at 1800 F (982 C) rather than the
1400 F (760 ) used with "clean" fuel in order to insure complete combustion.
Special arrangements could be made to burn pulverized coal.
The system occupies a 20 ft. by 80 ft. (6.1 m by 24.4 m) area,
including 40,000 gallons (151,000 1) of waste acid storage and 16,000 gallons
(60,600 1) of acid storage. The closed-loop system requires no sewage backup
and, therefore, no NPDES permit. Sludges recovered from the ecoiiomizer are
disposed of within the system by mixing them with iron oxide and feeding them
into the reactor. The latter practice has opened up the possibility that
this reactor might also be used for sludge incineration.
Since mid-November, 1974, the system has been fully operational at
its rated design capacity of up to 10 gallons per minute (37.9 1/min). That
is, it has been operating steadily with only a normal crew, processing all
the grantee's waste pickle liquor and returning a very high quality acid to
the pickling line. The Company thus has been relieved of its dependence both
on acid suppliers and contract waste handlers. On January 22, 1975, a major
milestone was reached when the system for the first time operated at steady
st£te throughout an entire shift, with no changes needing to be made in any
control settings.
The system is currently undergoing extended operating tests to
establish its reliability and economic practicability. The draft report is
in the initial stages of preparation. A paper on the project was presented
by Mr. John Wade, Plant Manager of Toledo Pickling and Steel Service, Inc.,
on February 4, 1975, at the National Conference on Management and Disposal
of Residues from the Treatment of Industrial Wastewaters, Washington, D.C.
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ROAP 21AZN - Task Oil - Economic Evaluation of Waste Treatment
Alternatives in the Iron and Steel Industry. (Iiv-House Project). Principal
Investigator, George F_. Weesner.
The objectives of this project are to develop breakdowns of various
waste treatment technologies in sufficiently detailed form to allow a manager
in the industry to make a reasonable preliminary cost estimate for his partic-
ular circumstances, and, hopefully, to make a more soundly based choice from
among available alternatives.
At present, data on capital cost and on direct operating cost is
scattered and fragmentary. In too many cases, what is most widely available
is simply a single total cost figure. Application to that figure of such
correction factors as the six-tenths rule or appropriate cost indices can
improve the accuracy somewhat, but the results are not entirely satisfactory.
Preliminary work has shown, for example, that the six-tenths rule
is not really adequate for adjusting capital cost estimate to the scale of
the installation.. Because fixed cost items become increasingly predominant
at smaller sizes, the six-tenths rule tends to underestimate the costs of
smaller installations. The same principle has been found to apply to direct
operating costs.
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